The use of global positioning system (GPS) navigation systems in vehicles is ubiquitous. GPS devices may be adequate when traversing between two points, such as from point A to point B; however, traveling to more than one location, such as a delivery personnel driving to multiple destinations in a single route, can pose many challenges. GPS devices, GPS navigation software applications on mobile smartphones, or embedded navigation devices typically treat all traffic conditions as equal, and may not compute the fastest and most efficient route when there is more than one destination to visit on a route, such as to avoid a user-defined or dynamically computer-generated hazard area that may be impeding traffic—and usually output or instruct the next location in the exact sequence in which they were inputted.
Between each pair of addresses, sometimes referred to as waypoints on a multi-stop route, there are typically multiple paths that a vehicle may take. While each route may be feasible, not every route will have the same distance and/or duration. Combined with the heading of the vehicle and its direction of travel, the duration of the same route will vary based on traffic conditions and other real-world conditions. Current solutions may only reflect the estimated time of arrival and departure between each sequential pair of locations on a route, but may not dynamically and optimally re-sequence routes based on anticipated traffic conditions and real-world conditions at the time when executing the route will actually take place. Additionally, current solutions may not use Bluetooth low or near-field communication technology for proximity sensing and location identification.
When a large number of vehicles are traveling to the same destination or to a similar general geographical area, traffic jams may occur, and vehicles, drivers, and businesses tend to want to avoid congested roads. Determining the sequence in which multiple vehicles of a fleet should visit specified locations can be complicated due to the chaotic and unpredictable nature of traffic patterns and traffic behaviors. Moreover, traffic patterns are dynamic. Existing techniques may predict the time it will take to get from point A to point B, but may not re-sequence all the stops in a multi-stop route to minimize the amount of time spent in traffic. Additionally, real-time, real-world conditions may not be taken into account, such as when a large number of vehicles are alerted about a problem in one area may cause congestion in another area, even after the problem that originally caused the diversion is long past. The vehicles may be poorly re-routed and may cause traffic congestion in an area where they converge.
Thus, there is a need for a traffic routing, sequencing and optimization system that is capable of optimizing routes with multiple stops while adapting to the dynamic nature of traffic patterns before a vehicle actually travels a route ahead of time, and dynamically updates in real-time.